Color Palette Inspirations for Your Next Artwork

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language, the language of dreams." - Paul Gauguin

While poets and writers have words, artists have colors to express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. With every stroke made by the brush is a line that tells another part of the story.

In art, color is not just something we use to make something pretty. You portray happiness, sadness, sceneries, and other subjects through color contrast, harmony, depth, and complementary colors. 

Artists' Watercolor 24-Pan Set

If you are an artist looking to get inspired by fresh color palette ideas, then you are in the right place! Whether you want neutral color palettes, skin color palettes, or even seasonal color palettes, we'll suggest some beautiful color palettes to help you tell a story in your next artwork. Keep on reading for more inspiration! 

How Do You Make Your Own Color Palette for Artworks?

Watercolor 36 Pan Set

Colors are a fundamental tool in every artist's toolbox. They are essential to creating engaging and impactful artworks. If you want to add personality to your projects, use color palettes that vividly portray the themes you want to present. 

They can mean and symbolize many things, as colors represent emotions, associations, and movements in many cultures across the world. To start building your own color palette, remember:

• Focus on the emotion and subject that you want to paint.
• If you want to express loud and energetic feelings, try using bright red, yellow, and orange shades. You can play around with pastels and lighter colors for more toned-down vibes. To express safety and tranquility, use blue. 
• Warm and cool tones also give a different atmosphere. 
• You can play with contrasting colors to give excitement and visual interest or provide an emphasis on certain parts of your artwork.
• Using similar hues that come from the same family of colors, you can create blends that provide realistic shadows and highlights. 
• To make a color lighter or darker, add more white or black.
• If you're painting, sketching, or coloring an object that has a model in real life, you can use its natural colors to stick to realism or change it up by experimenting with your imagination!  

Once you choose your own color palette, choosing whether to work with watercolors, oil paints, acrylics, gouache, markers, or even coloring pencils will be more straightforward. 

Nature-Themed Color Palettes

You can never go wrong with landscape artwork! Whether you're looking for a fall color palette, or a winter-themed one, here are the perfect colors to help you paint your next wow-worthy scenery: 

Winter-Themed Color Palette

If you want to encapsulate the feeling of a cold winter night, this color palette is perfect! You can achieve this color palette in real life using some of the colors from the Artists' Watercolor 24-Pan Set:

• Deep Blue Seas, Crystal Water, Sea Shore, Pure White, and Cool Summer Nights

If you have the Watercolor 36-Pan Set, you can also use the following colors:

• Lagoon, Ocean Waves, Dusk, Caribbean Sky, and Industrial Diamond

Autumn-Themed Color Palette

Autumn has one of the most gorgeous palettes out of all the seasons, so it’s no surprise that artists like you use this season as the muse of your artwork again and again!

To replicate the colors using watercolors from the Watercolor 36 Pan Set, you can use these shades and adjust their lightness and boldness accordingly:

• Mocha, Crimson, Autumn Blaze, Sun-kissed, Warm Sunshine, Fresh Lemon, Coral Berry, and Deep Iris

Summer-Themed Color Palette

Summer reminds us of our youth, and it's a time of relaxation, refreshing energy, and vibrance. Don't the colors just remind you of a sunny day on the beach? Because a summer color palette features bright colors, why not play with the Artists' Gouache Set - Strolling Through New York to achieve a picturesque landscape: 

• Baby Pink, Pistachio Green, Primary Yellow, Primary Cyan, Coral Red, and Lagoon Green

Skin Tone Color Palettes

Whether you want a skin color palette for portraits or just want a neutral color palette, brown, white, black, and pink hues are the best ways to go. Not only do they mimic the naturally varying shades of human skin, but the bold and dark colors of brown and black complement well with light shades of pink. 

Skin Color Palette 1

Skin Color Palette 2

Skin Color Palette 3

Of course, you should note that human skin is ever complex, and no single palette can ever accurately represent the beauty of skin tones. Every individual's skin tone is different and unique, so use this color palette inspiration only as a guide. You can also use the colors for other types of subjects, such as flowers and mountain landscapes since they also come across as nature-themed hues. 

Bold and Modern Color Palettes

Bold and modern color palettes often feature unexpected combinations and intense hues that can create striking visual impact. These color palettes are inspired by the different coordinating colors in our Artist Alcohol Markers.

These colors are perfect for florals, foliage, geometric patterns, and many more! By using these colors, you can infuse your work with energy, vibrancy, and a sense of modernity that can make it stand out from the crowd: 

Rock Garden Color Palette

These daring colors are from the Rock Garden Artist Alcohol Markers Set D. To achieve this color palette, you can use these dual-tipped, refillable alcohol markers from the set:

• Cosmic Berry, Purple Wine, and Rose Quartz
• Espresso, Mocha, Emerald, Lagoon, and Volcano Lake

Island Garden Color Palette

If you have ever wanted to make enchanted gardens, then this color palette is for you! These pretty red, green, and blue hues are from the Island Garden Artist Alcohol Markers Set H. To achieve this color palette, you can use these dual-tipped, refillable alcohol markers from the set:

• Vineyard Berry, Heart Beat, and Coral Bliss
• Azurite, Ultramarine, and Eastern Sky
• Hunter Green and Just Green

Beach Garden Color Palette

This stunning color palette from the Beach Garden Artist Alcohol Markers Set K is reminiscent of a beautiful koi pond! From sceneries to florals and patterns, you can use this color palette to revitalize your artwork. This palette is composed of these colors:

• Marigold, Snapdragon, and Sunray
• Starlight, Tide Blue, and Sea Breeze
• Gray Denim and Cloudy Night

Make Your Next Artwork With These Color Palette Ideas!

Art is a form of storytelling, and with the right choice of colors in your painting, you can evoke powerful emotions from your audience. Choosing the perfect color palette for different themes is essential for making art that speaks to each unique subject. Whatever beautiful and captivating color schemes you choose, you can be sure to create a visually appealing piece of art. 

Spread your colors in the world of art! We hope this blog post has helped you find the palette that best fits your project. To learn more about techniques and get creative inspiration, be sure to check out our other articles in the Creative Corner series. With so many resources available at your fingertips, making art has never been easier!